Flu pandemic claims three more lives, toll climbs to 72

Pune/Bangalore/Rajkot, Aug 24 (PTI) A toddler and two
middle-aged persons have succumbed to swine flu in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat, pushing the pandemic toll to 72 even as schools and colleges in Pune, shut due to the spurt in the infection, reopened Monday after nearly two weeks.

Over 100 more fresh cases of flu infection were
reported from various states Sunday, Union Health Ministry
officials said in Delhi.

The two-and-a-half year-old child, who was suffering
from a liver disorder, was admitted to the Command Hospital in
worst-hit Pune on August 21 after she tested positive for the
virus, health officials said.

She passed away Sunday night, they said. With the
toddler's death, the toll in Pune has risen to 23 and in
Maharashtra to 39.

A 50-year-old woman, Sarojamma, was admitted to
Thirumala Hospital in Bangalore on August 15 and given Tamiflu
treatment but she died Sunday night, hospital sources said.

52-year-old Rajesh Udhad, who was admitted to Wockhardt
Hospital in Rajkot on August 20 after he showed flu symptoms
like fever, breathlessness and vomitting, died Monday morning,
raising the virus toll in Gujarat to seven.

With the two deaths, fatalities due to the disease has
climbed to 72. This includes Karnataka with 13, Tamil Nadu
and Chhattisgarh with three each, Delhi two and Kerala, Goa,
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Haryana one each.

Meanwhile, schools and colleges in Pune reopened Monday
after almost two weeks of closure effected by the authorities
to prevent spread of the flu virus. PTI